Inclusion

Inclusion - finding a common understanding

Inclusion refers to social justice and participation as a guiding principle in a comprehensive understanding: Inclusion is a human rights principle that applies to all people. In an inclusive society, all people are accepted as equal, they are enabled to lead a self-determined life and no one is excluded from the possibility of participation in all areas of life. The diversity of people and ways of life is taken for granted. There is no definition of normality and standardised concepts of life that must be striven for. Differences are seen as an enrichment for society. The prerequisite for belonging and participation is the creation of structures and processes without exclusions or barriers.

For us as a university, inclusion as a guiding principle gives us the comprehensive opportunity to reflect on and further develop our structures, attitudes and practices. FH Aachen regards inclusion as a commitment: we are committed to recognising the diversity of all university members and to creating structures that enable everyone to participate on an equal footing. To do this, we must establish an environment in which all university members with all identities are heard, seen and valued. This requires a change in organisational culture where inclusion is considered in all key decision-making processes of the university. Diversity and heterogeneity must be valued and understood as a strength. An inclusive university aims to create equal opportunities and thus ensure optimal conditions for all university members by identifying and removing disadvantages and barriers. [...]

The Inclusion Action Programme

The Inclusion Action Programme presents goals and measures to support and promote the participation of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses at the university. It is a building block to the overall strategy of diversity management.

The long-term and overarching goal of all the university's activities is to promote the necessary cultural change:

We want to establish a working and study culture in which responsibility for inclusion and accessibility is a self-evident cross-sectional task.

To this end, FH Aachen has developed objectives and measures in the following fields of action:

• Prospective students and students
• Applications and employees
• Barrier-free design of teaching
• Local and digital accessibility
• Institutionalisation and further professionalisation
• Quality assurance